Shades of Yellow’s mission was to cultivate a community of empowered HAPI LGBTQI (Hmong and Asian Pacific Islander, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex) and allies to challenge what we’ve been told about API and LGBTQI communities, and ignite positive cultural and social change. SOY’s vision was a world where HAPI LGBTQI and allies are liberated and celebrated for who they are. Existing in HAPI cultural communities where being LGBTQI or gender-nonconforming means risking displacement, disownment, and disconnection to families and community, SOY worked to make it possible for constituents to remain visible, be present in community, and acknowledge the complex intersections of their identities, identities for which many Asian languages have no words (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, or Intersex). This meant challenging their cultural communities to make room for all people and to acknowledge that LGBTQI people exist. In order to address and impact change, SOY used 3 main strategies: arts and culture, leadership development, and community building.

This organization was supported through the Funding Queerly Giving Circle, which is housed at Astraea.